Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Get the news
Log In or Subscribe to skip
178 6 [h=6]Share This Story![/h]Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about
[h=4]Netanyahu: Stop Iran's 'march of conquest'[/h]Nuclear deal "paves Iran's path to the bomb," Israeli prime minister tells Congress
{# #}
[h=4]Sent![/h]A link has been sent to your friend's email address.
[h=4]Posted![/h]A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.
[h=6]Join the Nation's Conversation[/h]To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs
[h=2]UP NEXT[/h][h=2]03[/h]
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a speech before Congress that Iran and the Islamic State want the same thing, but while one has knives, the other is seeking nuclear weapons. He said they're competing for the crown of militant Islam. VPC
Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, addresses a joint meeting of Congress on March 3, 2015.(Photo: H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY)
WASHINGTON — The nuclear deal now being negotiated between Iran, the United States and its allies "doesn't block Iran's path to the bomb; it paves Iran's path to the bomb," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Congress Tuesday.
But despite his criticism of the White House's handling of the Iranian nuclear talks, Netanyahu said the relationship between the United States and Israel "has always been above politics, and must always remain above politics."
"I know that my speech has been the subject of much controversy. I deeply regret that some perceive my being here as political. That has never been my intention," Netanyahu said at the beginning of his 40-minute address to a packed House chamber. "I know that no matter which side of the aisle you sit, you stand with Israel."
Netanyahu then laid out a multi-count indictment against the Iranian regime, saying Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei spews "the oldest hatred of anti-Semitism with the newest technology. He tweets that Israel must be annihilated. He tweets!" Netanyahu said, his voice cracking and pausing to take a drink of water.
USA TODAY
First Take: Netanyahu points to unbridgeable divide
USA TODAY
Netanyahu: Speech to Congress won't 'disrespect' Obama
He accused Iran of playing a game of "hide and cheat" with nuclear inspectors, saying it's been caught twice operating secret nuclear facilities. "Right now, Iran could be hiding nuclear facilities that we don't know about," he said. "Iran has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted."
The United States and five other world powers are negotiating a deal with Iran that would seek to put at least a decade-long halt to its nuclear program.
That's not long enough for Netanyahu, who called equated 10 years to "the blink of an eye" in terms of the history of Israel.
National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Monday that a permanent halt to Iran's nuclear capability was unrealistic because negotiating partners on the United Nations Security Council don't support that.
"If that is our goal, our partners will abandon us, undermining the sanctions we have imposed so effectively together. Simply put, that is not a viable negotiating position," Rice told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a packed House chamber on Capitol Hill on March 3, 2015.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
Netanyahu urged the United States to enact tougher sanctions in order to force a harder line against Iran, and such legislation is already being debated in the Senate. But President Obama has threatened to veto any such legislation, saying it could derail the talks.
USA TODAY
Netanyahu echoes Churchill; Who will listen? Column
On the eve of Netanyahu's speech, the Obama administration sought to allay fears that the Iran negotiations would result in a bad deal for Israel or the United States. The goal, Obama told the Reuters news agency in an interview Monday, would be to ensure "there's at least a year between us seeing them try to get a nuclear weapon and them actually being able to obtain one."
Netanyahu said that "breakout time" would be even shorter in Israel's assessment — and that by the time violations are discovered it may be too late. "Inspectors document violations. They don't stop them," he said.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate President Pro Tem Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, talk before the start of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to a joint meeting of Congress on March 3, 2015.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY)
The White House did not immediately provide an on-the-record response to the speech. Obama did not watch the speech live, but instead was scheduled to participate in a teleconference with European leaders over the Ukraine crisis.
In his interview with Reuters Monday, Obama said he and Netanyahu shared the same goal, he also said there's "substantial disagreement" about how to get there. "I'm less concerned, frankly, with Prime Minster Netanyahu's commentary than I'm with Congress taking actions that might undermine the talks before they're completed," Obama said.
Heeding generalized warnings from Secretary of State John Kerry in recent days, Netanyahu was careful not to divulge classified information about the state of the nuclear talks. "You don't need intelligence agencies and secret information to know this," Netanyahu said. "You can Google it."
House Speaker John Boehner bypassed the White House in inviting Netanyahu just two weeks before his party faces an election in Israel, and as many as 60 Democrats boycotted the speech as a "campaign pep rally" for Netanyahu.
USA TODAY
Sen. Warren joins growing list shunning Netanyahu
But Democrats who walked out expressed differing degrees of support for the speech.
"There is no agreement this administration could reach with Iran that would be good enough for him," said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas. But Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., said Netanyahu made a "convincing case for continued U.S. support."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who did attend the speech, called it insulting and condescending and said she was nearly brought to tears as someone who "loves Israel."
But she also said "a nuclear armed Iran is unacceptable to both our countries. We have all said that a bad deal is worse than no deal, and stopping the spread of nuclear weapons is the bedrock of our foreign policy and national security."
Boehner had no trouble filling the Democrats' empty seats. The speaker's office says it has had 10 times more interest for tickets to the public galleries than any other event in his four-year speakership — including State of the Union addresses. Among the visiting dignitaries: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Sens. Norm Coleman and Joe Lieberman, and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor.
Netanyahu recognized Wiesel in the gallery, prompting one of the longest ovations of the speech. "Elie, your life and work inspires to give meaning to the words, 'Never again!'" the prime minister said. "I wish I could tell you, Elie, that the lessons of history have been learned."
The speech was attended by all the customary pomp and circumstance, with Boehner appointing a special "escort committee" to parade Netanyahu to the dais and host him at a reception afterward.
With his speech to Congress Tuesday, Netanyahu joins Winston Churchill as the only foreign leaders who have addressed Congress three times. Boehner presented Netanyahu with a bust of Churchill for the occasion.
Israel now joins the United Kingdom and France as the only countries that have been invited to address a joint meeting eight times.
Follow @gregorykorte on Twitter.
0) { %> 0) { %>
0) { %>
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed